Little Lost Bunny
by Forbiddensoul562
Summary: After taking a trip into the city, four year old Near has lost his stuffed bunny. Now, it's up to him and six year old Mello to find the lost toy. Slight MxN.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So this is a new story from a roleplay that I did with my Mello, Almighty Sponge. In this, Near is about 4 years old and Mello is about 6. Because of this, a lot of the words that they say are written wrong –but that's purposeful because… well… they're just little kids! Anyway, it's a simple idea, but was very fun to do! So… without much else to say let's get on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters that are used in this story.

Chapter 1

It was late at night and all of the children of Wammy's house were asleep in their beds. Each one was tuckered out from the events of the day. Two kids in particular were especially tired, and wanted nothing more than to sleep.

Near and Mello (along with several other children from the orphanage) had taken a trip down into the nearby town with Roger earlier that day and were tired from all the activities that had gone on there. After all, traveling from one store to another and walking around for hours would tire any kid out.

In his room, Near rolled around on his bed under the white sheets he had over him and continuously found ways to get trapped in the confines of said blankets. Every few moments small whimpers escaped from him until finally his wide eyes opened and he looked around his dark room in desperation.

"Bunny?" He asked to the empty room.

The chamber was practically empty despite the furniture and toys he had neatly placed around in their selected spots. However, now that it was night time, everything was shadowed in darkness, and these everyday articles, seen through the eyes of a child, were warped into frightful shapes that loomed before him.

For instance, the toys, which Near had neatly placed to the side of his room, had become an octopus-like monster with ragged, metal arms that reached out from the corner it was sitting at. And the dresser was a giant, with four massive, angular mouths, each dotted with two black eyes that ceaselessly watched the shivering albino from where he sat, on the wall opposite the bed.

Near fought back the strong urge he had to hide under his blankets.

Instead, he took the pillow he'd previously been sleeping on and held it close to him, hoping to create a barrier with it between himself and the monsters. His eyes darted off the sides of the bed. "Bunny?" His voice grew more frantic now.

There wasn't much time, he had to find his stuffed white bunny before the monsters decided to attack him. He needed that bunny to feel safe, but it seemed to be nowhere to be found now.

_'I-I migh not have 'nough time…'_ Near thought to himself, fearing the monsters would take advantage of the fact that he didn't have his protection with him, and would eat him up in his precious bunny's absence. So, to prevent such a thing from happening, Near scampered off of his bed, feeling the way his heart raced in his chest as he exited from his room and went out into the hall.

He hurried down the dark corridor until he reached the door to Mello's bedroom. He and Mello were acquaintances, Near supposed. He knew that normally he wouldn't have gone there, especially not in the middle of the night. But he also knew that Mello was brave and strong, and could protect him from the monsters… or so he hoped.

In the very least, he hoped maybe Mello could help him figure out where his bunny went to, since they had spent quite a bit of time together during the day before, when he must've lost it.

Near rushed into the room, his heart racing in his chest and eyes brimming with unshed tears of fright.

Near crossed the room over to Mello's bed, where the said blonde was tucked under his dark sheets. Near didn't hesitate to begin shaking at his shoulder lightly. "Mero?" He asked shakily. "Mero."

The slumbering blonde mumbled something inaudible in his sleep, and finally his blue eyes opened. He blinked a few times before he sat up, smacking his lips and then looked down to the floor, to where Near stood, staring up at him with eyes wide with fear.

"Nia?" He spoke softly, wondering if he was dreaming or not. "What are you doing here?" He questioned.

Near looked down a bit and fumbled nervously with the ends of the white shirt that hung loosely on his small frame. "Dere're monsers in my room… Mero know where my bunny is?" He asked.

Mello frowned, "You lost your bunny?"

Near nodded weakly, his eyes flicking between Mello and where his hands were on the end of his shirt.

"Hm…" Mello slipped from under his covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He stood there for a minute in his dark pajamas, trying to think of a solution to this problem. "So you can't go find your bunny 'cuz there's monsters?" He asked.

"I don know where my bunny is… I can't find it." Near said; his tone instantly falling to show his sadness at the situation. His dark grey eyes met Mello's blue ones, "My bunny protets me from monsers…"

"Yeah." Mello simply replied as he began to think. _'Obviously Nia's gonna need his toy to get to sleep… and I can't just dump him off or he'll cry… I'm gonna have to help him find it or I'm never gonna get to sleep either…'  
_  
"Well when did you play with you bunny last?" Mello then asked, coming back out of his thoughts.

Near thought over Mello's question, his eyes falling to his feet as he pondered. When had he played with it last? "Dis morning? No… Dis afternoon!" He finally concluded.

Mello cocked his head to the side. "This afternoon? When we were downtown?" He frowned. "Did you have it on the ride back?"

Near simply shrugged, "I didn' have my bunny dis evening."

The blonde sighed, "You don't remember if you left it in town or not?"

"I tink I might…" Near trailed off.

"Hmph." Mello sat back down on the edge of his bed. "Well it's kinda 'portant to know. If you left your bunny in town then there's no point lookin' for it." He stated.

Near continued to fumble with the end of his shirt. He knew if he had his bunny with him, he would probably be messing with the large floppy white ears that it had… but his shirt would have to be the substitute for it for the moment.

"Well… I 'member bringin it with us…" Near began to reflect back on the day's events.

Mello watched Near, beginning to piece together his own theory about what had happened to the unfortunate rabbit toy.

"But you don't remember havin' it on the ride home?"

Near simply shook his head in reply.

Mello frowned at the younger boy, "Well then you left it in town! Your fault for bringin' it. It's gone now." He told him honestly.

Near's face fell and his wide, dark eyes planted themselves on the blonde boy in a silent plea. "But… but… I need it… Mero, I need my bunny." He sniffled softly and let a few tears fall from his rounded eyes. "Can we get it?"

Mello shuddered a little when Near started crying. He hated it when little kids put up a fuss. Not only was it sickeningly cute, but annoying because of that and it always melted his heart at the same time; especially when Near did it.

"Wh-what am I 'sposed ta do? Get Roger to take you into town to look for it?" He instantly responded as he tried to avoid Near's teary eyes.

Near shook his head, "You go with me?" He asked, pleadingly as he stared at Mello and waited for his response.

Mello sighed, _'What choice do I got?'  
_  
"Fine."

A/N: So that's the end of the first chapter! I think the beginning of this is so cute. But, it gets cuter as the story progresses! So, stick around and see what happens! Will Near find his bunny again? What's going to happen in the end? Who knows…

Please review!  
_-Forbiddensoul562_


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So here is the second chapter! First, I have to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter. I was surprised it got 7 right off the bat, and at the same time I loved reading everyone's thoughts on it. Please continue to do so! It encourages me to write the next chapters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters used in this story.

Chapter 2

Mello slid off the bed and took Near's little hand in his own. "But then I get ta go back to bed." He added as he steered Near out of his room and down the dark hallway. They continued, padding along in silence for a couple of minutes until they reached Roger's office; the large wooden door was closed.

Mello frowned but began knocking on it anyway. "Roger? Roger!" He called, just loud enough to be heard through the door.

A couple of seconds passed and there was no reply.

Mello dropped Near's hand and leant against the door. "He's sleepin' Nia. Everyone is. Can't cha ask 'im in the morning?" Mello pleaded, wanting desperately to go back to bed as well.

Near instantly shook his head, "No… I need my bunny." His eyes showed the urgency that he felt. After all, it wouldn't matter at all in the morning if the monsters ate him during the night. The thought in itself made his desperation to go look for it increase dramatically.

"Well you're gonna hafta wait." Mello replied, staring to lose his patience with Near.

"Pweez Mello! Can we still go? My bunny…" He looked back at Mello.

"Why cannit wait 'til tomorrow?" Mello persisted.

Near shook his head again, "It be gone by then, Mello, pweez!" Near pleaded desperately.

Mello sighed, it was so hard to resist Near when he looked so desperate. "I…" He looked at Near. "But we migh' not find it…" He trailed off.

"We have ta look."

Mello sighed again, "Fine, we'll go look… we gotta get dressed first, though. It might be cold outside." _'What am I getting myself into?'_ Mello wondered as he headed back down the hallway towards their rooms, with Near trailing behind.

Near seemed just a bit happier now, as he followed Mello back the way they'd came. When Mello reached his own room Near would continue, he figured, and they'd get their stuff to go out and look. He didn't even fear the monsters that lurked in his room, now. Near was sure he would return later with his bunny in store, and it would keep them away. "Thank you, Mello." Near finally said.

"Yeah, yeah." They finally stopped at Near's bedroom and he turned on the light. "Get dressed, I won't watch." Mello said as he turned to face the wall. "Don't forget shoes and coat."

Near nodded and went over to his dressed. He re-dressed himself in a suitable pair of pants and a t-shirt he had (both of which being practically too big for his small frame, as most of his clothes were). Then, he took his abandoned jacket from the closet, and finally tugged on the equally forgotten shoes that'd been sitting by the dresser.

"Okay." He finally said, a small smile playing across his face.

Mello looked at him and smiled a little. It was a nice change from the normal pajamas, and he almost laughed when he noticed how the shirt hung off his small shoulders.

"Right…" He said quietly, as he left the room again. "Let's go to my room, now. I want pack a backpack just in case…"

Near simply nodded and followed the blonde back to his room.

Mello quickly changed into a dark sweater and jeans with a light undershirt. Then he pulled on his wool socks and his warm jean jacket, and, lastly, his dark boots.

"Okay… so… " He grabbed his black backpack and tossed in a few chocolate bars.

"What else do we need, Mero?" Near asked, looking around the room.

"Hm…" Mello scratched his chin. "Maybe…" He trailed off in thought.

Mello pattered across the room and opened his piggy bank, then dumped the handful of bills into his pocket. "I wish I hadn't spent so much money on candies in town yesterday…" He mumbled to himself.

Mello stuffed a small blanket, that had been hanging off the end of his bed, into his backpack and swung it unto his back. "'Kay…" He said, looking back over to Near and wondering what to do, now. "Do we… just go?"

Near shrugged, "I guess so…"

For a moment, Mello considered waking Matt up and asking him to come along as well. But that would just waste time, and Mello wanted to sleep as soon as possible.

"Yeah, okay, let's just go." He took Near's hand and left the room, closing his bedroom door behind them.

A/N: So that was a good chapter, but kind of short... which really annoys me. Things are being put into place and get better from here on out; I'm sure they'll be longer as well. There's not much more to say but…

Please review!  
_-Forbiddensoul562_


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So, here is the third chapter. I'm _very_ happy that all of you love the cuteness of this and everything like you do! Especially from the last chapter, 'cause, personally, I didn't like it. It really fails in comparison to this chapter. But whatever. The cuteness increases from here on out. So… enjoy! And remember to let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters in this story.

Chapter 3

"You know… it's a long walk to town… maybe an hour, even." Mello said offhandedly as they pattered down the hallway.

Near paused, watching the older blonde now. "Are we gonna walk da whole way?" Something in his voice showed that he didn't like the idea.

Mello shrugged. "Maybe… we could get a ride… we'll see."

Near simply nodded in response to this.

It only took a few minutes for the two children to find their way to the front hall of the orphanage. Mello knew, and had been told many times before, that they were strictly forbidden to leave without an adult present, when it wasn't recess. But the blonde had already known that they were going to have to break a few rules in order to retrieve Near's toy.

Besides, Mello figured, if they were able to get back home before anyone had woken up, no one would know they'd left in the first place.

He reached forwards and put his small hands on the cold metal doorknob, pulling open the heavy wooden door slowly, and instantly shivering when the cool air from the outside rushed over him.

It was a cool, clear night out. The sky was full of stars and the front yard of the orphanage was completely still, the grass waving slowly in the wind.

"Keep your jacket done up, kay? It's kinda cold." Mello said as he held the door open for Near.

Near nodded, doing as told as he wrapped his jacket closer to him and stepped outside into the night. He looked around the area, taking notice to the fact that the entire place looked much different now, than it ever did during the day.

The building was dark, shadowed, and lacked any of the normal, welcoming light that it had ever held previously. The outside, open world was filled with brand new shadows, and this alone made Near uneasy. He was sure that the monsters from his room had followed them outside and were lurking somewhere in the shadows, here… just waiting for the opportunity to snatch him up.

It was scary… and nearly made him reconsider going out.

Mello followed and made sure the front door was closed silently behind them. He took a deep breath of the cool air and stepped off of the front porch.

"Well, let's get goin'…" He held out his hand. "You gotta keep up."

Near adjusted his sights to Mello and followed after him quickly so he wouldn't be forgotten. "H-how far is it?" He asked, the fear evident in his shaky voice and the way his eyes darted around the area.

The young blonde rolled his eyes and snatched Near's hand, slightly annoyed that his obvious hinting hadn't been picked up on.

He instantly started walking more quickly. "Well… it's about… a half hour ride… so maybe an hour walk?" He figured.

He clenched his hand tightly around the younger boy's, pleased to find that it was a lot warmer than the hand stuffed in his jacket pocket.

"You wanna try an' get a ride?" Mello asked after a couple minutes of walking. "Matt tomme you can itch-hike."

"What's that?" Near asked curiously, fighting to keep up with Mello's larger strides.

"Hm…" Mello frowned. "Well… s'not itchy… and it's s'not really hiking either… so I dunno why it's called that… but what you do is… this." He made a thumbs up and held it out, to his side, closer to the road. "And people will give you a ride, if you do. And It's for free, too."

Near looked at Mello, then looked at the empty street they were standing beside.

"Mero… I don see people comin to give us ride." He finally concluded.

Mello shrugged. "Let's keep walking, and if we see a car comin' we do this." He made a thumbs up again. "Kay?"

Near nodded, and reluctantly continued walking, since he didn't like the thought of walking the whole way there. But what else was there? Nothing… he figured, since there were no cars yet.

About ten minutes later, a faint automobile could be heard, and Mello glanced behind them. Sure enough, lights were heading their direction, so it had to be a car.

"Okay!" The young blonde stuck his thumbs up into the road. "You do it, too, Near."  
Near looked back to Mello, then to the street where he noticed the lights. He instantly copied what Mello was doing –sticking his little thumb up, and unsure of how that was going to convince the car to stop.

As the automobile got closer, it became larger, and soon it was obvious that not only was it not a car, but a truck instead, but it was also going down the road very fast. Mello had to be brave and keep from stepping away from the road out of fear that he would be hit. He needed the driver to notice them.

Then, seconds later, the truck passed them, in a rush of wind and exhaust.

It slowed to a stop a bit ahead and someone hollered out unto the road, something about what kids were doing out at this time of night.

Mello glanced quickly at Near and took the younger boy's hand, racing down the road to catch up to where the truck had stopped.

Near simply raced after him, all the while hoping they would be able to get a ride.

A middle-aged man, with a scruffy face and a thick brown coat was hanging out of the driver's side window, eyeing the kids incredulously. "What in God's name are you two doing out here?" He sputtered, looking as though he couldn't believe how young these kids appeared to be.

Mello had to crane his neck in order to look up at the man seated so high above them.

"We're going into town!" He replied loudly over the sounds coming from the stalled truck. "We gotta go right now. Can you give us a ride? We're itch-hiking!"

The man frowned and scratched his head. "… Hitchhiking toddlers…" He muttered.

"Where are your parents? I'm not taking you anywhere unless you've got their permission to be out here." He replied.

The blonde shrugged, "They're dead."

Near nodded.

The man just starred. _'Is this kid for real? He certainly doesn't seem too choked up for an orphan…'_ He finally sighed, "And you just need a ride into Galsburg?" He asked.

"Yes, please! We need it now!" Mello yelled back up to him.

The man sighed. "Go around to the other side, I'll open the door." He said before he rolled up his window again.

Mello smiled at his younger companion. "I told you it would work!" He pulled Near around to the other side of the truck.

When they got there, the door was already open, but it was high so Mello had to lift Near a bit so he could reach the foot rest. "Got it?" He asked, straining to keep his balance.  
The truck driver sighed and grabbed Near by the scruff of his coat, hoisting him unto the seat.

Near was startled by just being dragged up into the truck, but once he was seated, he looked around the messy cabin of the truck; then looked to Mello. "Come on, Mero."  
The blonde nodded and climbed up unto the seat beside Near, which they both fit on comfortably. He then pulled the door shut, and sighed in the warmth of the truck.

The moment Mello was in, Near instantly shuffled closer to him.

The driver started the truck up once more, and a blast of hot air rushed out of the dash board fans, hitting him and the kids straight on. "Do up your seat belt. If it fits." He grunted.

Mello nodded and found the hanging belt, just behind his head. He pulled it around him and Near and reached around the smaller boy so he could click it into place. "Kay." He said and sat back, surprised to find Near pressing against him like that; especially when there was so much room on the seat.

"Um… my name's Mero." The blonde said with a smile.

"Uh huh." The driver replied as he steered the truck back out unto the highway, not for a second believing he hasn't just been given a nickname as an alias. "Well my name is Stuart. Call me Stu."

Mello nodded. "Thank you for giving us a ride."

"Right…" Stu grunted, trying to keep his eyes on the road. "Why exactly are you two trying to get to Galsburgh, anyway? It's just a pit stop on most routes, ain't really anything there."

"We gotta go get somethin' that's there." Mello said, watching the road before them.

"And then what? You got a place to go?" Stu asked, hoping to God he'd get an answer. He wasn't really in the 'caretaking' mood.

The blonde nodded. Yeah, we'll go back to the orphanage, then." He replied; then glanced down at Near, who had laid his head on Mello's shoulder.

He frowned, "Stop that, Nia." Mello scolded. "Why are you bein' all clingy?"

_'Nia…'_ The man quickly glanced at the younger boy. _'Sounds like a girl's name… he might be a girl… hard to say…'  
_  
Near, not really wanting to voice his discomfort of being so close to this complete stranger just shrugged a bit and whispered almost silently to Mello, "I'm sorry. I miss my bunny."

Mello sighed. He could feel his annoyance quickly fading and being replaced with sympathy. "So you want to hug me, instead?" He asked, still watching Near closely.

Near nodded.

The blonde just shrugged. Sometimes Near could be so odd. Distant one second and huggable the next. He put one arm around the four-year-old's back, in what he hoped was a kind gesture and let him rest his head on Mello's chest. "Better? We'll find your bunny soon…"

Near laid against him, his eyes moving out to watch the dark road pass by him. He nodded. "Thank you, Mero." He wasn't sure what he was thanking him for… for letting Near lay against him? Or for doing all of this?

He shrugged off the thought –it didn't really matter too much. Either one was a fine option.

Mello exhaled and continued looking out the window. He didn't know what else to say. It felt a little awkward to have someone cuddling up to him like that, but Near was only a baby, after all, and he needed to be handled with care. So Mello didn't complain.  
Besides, the warm air hitting his face was very relaxing, he almost felt like he could fall asleep there.

Stuart said nothing. He didn't really feel like making conversation right now anyway, and after things went quiet, he turned on the radio, letting it play quietly in the background as they rushed down the highway.

A/N: Yay!!! So the adventure officially begins! I'm not too sure what to say here, but things get better from here too! I hope everyone is still enjoying this. Please let me know your thoughts! All of them. They're greatly appreciated. Next chapter should be out soon.

Please review!  
_-Forbiddensoul562_


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I'm back! Sorry about the delay in time. But, with that I've brought along a longer chapter for everyone! Also, I'd like to thank everyone who's been reviewing this so far! We're beginning to wonder if we could reach 100 reviews by the end of this. That'd be amazing! But, the most important thing is that you're all enjoying this, and that's wonderful!

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters used in this story!

Chapter 4

About forty minutes into the ride, the sudden jolt of the truck coming to a stop awoke Mello from his light nap

Stuart shook Mello's shoulder gently.

"We're there." He grunted before he climbed out of the car and strode out towards the gas machines.

The young blonde blinked a few times as he came into realization. He looked down and found Near sleeping on his chest, sucking his thumb a bit.

"Wake up, Nia." He said, sitting up. "We gotta go look for your bunny, now."

Near's eyes slid open and he paused a moment, then sat up so he could stretch as his eyes scanned the new surroundings now. "Where are we, Mero?"

"In town. At…" He looked up and out the windows. "A gas station… I think…" He then reached over and undid the seatbelt.

Near let him undo it and waited for the door to be pushed open so they could get out. It felt as though he hadn't moved in hours and he was anxious to move around a bit.

Mello slipped out the door first, then reached up and caught Near. He laid the other boy down on the pavement beside him and managed to close the truck door.

"You kids goin' anywhere in particular?" Stuart asked as he strode over to the gas tank. Mello thought about this. The day before they'd visited several places. The candy shop, the café on Main street, the toy store and… the outdoor market.

"We gotta go a few places." He replied, knowing they'd have to check each one of those locations if they wanted a good chance of finding Near's bunny.

Stuart sighed and put the gas nozzle back on it's stand. "Well you two be careful and go back home again as soon as you're done. Got it?" He said.

Mello smiled a little and nodded.. "We will. We just gotta get something; then we're gonna go right back home." He looked down at Near. "Right, Nia?"

Near nodded from where he'd inconspicuously slipped a bit behind Mello. "My bunny, sir, I need it." He said in a quiet voice.

Stuart ignored this and climbed back into his truck. "Don't get in trouble, now." He closed the heavy truck door behind him and the truck started up.

Mello instinctively jumped away from the vehicle, yanking Near backwards with him. "Bye, Stu!" He yelled as the truck took off and left.

He looked down at Near once Stu's truck was out of sight. "Let's get looking!" He took Near's hand again and started out of the gas station parking lot and unto the road. "I remember where the candy store is, so let's check there first." He said.

Near nodded, "But… wouldn't it be better to go to the first place, first?"

Mello frowned, "But the market is so far from here… we'll get to it…" Then, something suddenly occurred to Mello. "If we can't find your bunny, could we get a new one at the toy shop? I have some money…"

Near drooped, "We havta find my bunny, Mero… It important to me."

"Well… yeah but can't you just get another bunny? It's the same, right?" He asked as they continued down the street, passing a few dark houses.

Near shook his head, "My Mama gave me my bunny… so it would protet me… so it wouldn' be the same." He explained.

Mello bit his lip. "Alright… whatever… we'll find it… I was just sayin'."

Near looked down, feeling guilty for not accepting Mello's help more. "I know, Mello." He said, quietly.

The candy shop looked up ahead. It's large glass windows darkened by the lack of business going on within; inside the window of the front door hung a 'closed' sign. There were also empty trays by the window, which were usually filled with donuts and cookies.

"It's closed…" Mello said quietly. "Do you think you woulda left your bunny inside?" He stepped forwards and pressed his face and hands to the window, peering into the dark shop and searching for the missing toy.

Near stepped forward as well and looked with the blonde. "No…" He explained.

Mello nodded and stepped back from the window, wiping his dusty hands on his jeans. "Yeah… it's not inside… I can't see it…" He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Where next, then?"

"What is close?" Near asked.

Mello sighed, "I think the next closest would be the toy store… but that'll just be closed, too." He looked up and down the empty street; then wished he had a watch so he could see what time it was. "I don't know if we'll find it until things start opening…"

"But… we have to twy!" Near pressured. "If… maybe if… we can find it _in_ a store… then we'll know where to go, for when they open."

"But the toy store is big. We can't see all of it from the outside." Mello objected.

"Maybe we skip that for now?"

Mello nodded. "Let's go to the marketplace, now." He took Near's hand again. "It's all outside… so…"

"I hope we find it." Near said as they began off in the direction of the marketplace.  
Mello nodded.

-

A good twenty minutes had passed in silence between the two young boys and, as they neared their destination, Mello suddenly felt something cold on the back of his neck.  
He frowned and stopped walking, frozen in spot on the sidewalk.

"Did you feel something?" Mello asked as he waited for the cold feeling again.

Near looked confused at him, but before he could speak he felt something cold hit him as well. "Is dat…" He instantly looked up to the sky with confused and wonder-filled eyes.

Mello felt another droplet on his cheek. "Uh oh." He said as he realized what was happening.

Seconds later the amount of droplets increased drastically and Mello could feel his skin slickening with water. "Augh!" He grabbed Near's arm and steered him off and into an alley. "We gotta get out of the rain!"

Near scampered after him, using his free hand to cover himself as best as he could from the onslaught.

Once they were in the safety of the tight alleyway, Mello found a slightly dry looking corner of the building and he pushed Near into it. "Dry?" He asked.

Near nodded, then let his eyes drift out to the rain again.

"Why it have to start raining?" He asked with a sigh.

Mello frowned and put his backpack on the ground, by Near's feet, so the contents wouldn't get wet. "Sit down." Mello said as he unzipped his backpack and started rooting through the contents.

Near looked confused back at him, but did as he was told. His confused grey eyes followed the blonde. "Mero?"

Mello pulled the blanket out of his backpack and threw it over Near, who was huddled against the wall.

"There." Mello said as he tucked in the edges of the blanket.

Near watched him for another moment, "Thank you." He looked down for a long minute with a solemn look on his face. "We're not gonna find my bunny… are we?"

Mello glanced at Near. "Why wouldn't we? He's just probably gonna be a wet bunny, now." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and slid down the side of the wall next to Near, frowning.

"What if… what if we don't… and I never find him." He hugged the blanket closer to him.

Mello glanced over at Near. "Huh?" Mello was getting that sinking feeling in his stomach. The feeling that Near was about to cry unless he did something to stop him. "We'll find it… we'll keep looking… we just can't right now." He said, hoping Near would hold it together.

"I hope we do… I miss it."

Mello sighed. "Do you wanna hug me again?"

"You don't have ta do that fer me, Mero." Near said, knowing that Mello wasn't normally the _'huggy' _type of person.

"Fine." Mello replied stiffly, "Just makin' sure." He looked back at the wall in front of him, again. "I wouldn't understand why you'd think I'd be any good for huggin' anyway. I'm nothin' like your bunny."

"You keep monsers away, like my bunny." Near stated.

Mello rolled his eyes at Near's words. "There are no monsters." He replied, stubbornly. "You're just imagin' them."

"Yes there are, Mello. You don't see 'em because they scared of you." Near stated surely.

Mello grinned a little, imagining for a moment that he could really scare off monsters.

"Yeah… right…" He sighed and shuddered a little as a few raindrops hit him on the forehead. His hiding spot wasn't as dry as Near's was, and already his blonde hair was soaked and dripping with water.

"The rain is cold…" He complained, shuffling a bit closer to the wall.

Near looked over and noticed this. He shuffled closer to where Mello was and shrugged off the blanket to offer it to the blonde with a small smile.

Mello blinked at the offering. "No…" He pushed the blanket back at Near. "You're littler, you need it."

"But you shouln't be cold, either."

Mello huffed, "Well I would've shared the blanket, but you said you didn't wanna hug me, so that's fine!" He turned away from Near. "I won't die. I'm not a baby like you. I can be cold."

Near looked down, as though silently scolding himself for not thinking about Mello's feelings before. He then moved closer to Mello and eventually rested against the other boy, so he could pass part of the blanket to the blonde.

Mello stiffened a little. His first instinct was to push Near off, but he didn't really feel like hitting a kid who was as little as Near. So instead he just sat there and said nothing.

"You…" Mello finally said after a few minutes in which the only noise between them was the sound of the rain hitting the pavement nearby. "I said I didn't need the blanket… I'm a big kid… I'll be fine."

Near was silent for a long moment before he said in a quiet voice, "Can I hug you?"

Mello looked over at Near. "Why would you want to?"

"I told you… the monsers."

The blonde sighed. "There are _no monsters_." He replied loudly.

Near cringed, but only nodded.

Mello finally gave up and put his arms around Near, letting the other boy rest on him and letting the blanket fall overtop of them both.

"We'll find your bunny, Nia," He said, "Just stop being such a baby…"

"Sorry, Mero." He said, that sad tone returning to his voice.

Mello sniffled, "Whatever." He looked down and noticed Near's hair was already wet, and, from his angle he could pick out the water droplets clinging to each silvery strand.

He reached over and brushed the wet hair away from Near's forehead, and then, his cheek, all the while staring at the albino.

Near glanced up at the blonde with curious eyes, but he didn't say anything, he didn't want to startle Mello or discourage him from continuing doing… whatever it was he was doing.

Mello rested his hand among his damp locks, and then traced his fingers along Near's cool cheek. "Are you cold?" He asked quietly.

"A lil'." Near responded simply and honestly; all the while his eyes never moving from the pretty blonde sheltering him.

Mello watched Near's wide dark eyes, round and curious, for a few moments before reaching down to undo his coat. He took Near's small hands and put them on his sides –burying them in the warmth of the sweater he wore under his coat and tucking in the edges of the blanket. He breathed lightly on Near's cheek before brushing his chin and lower jaw against Near's forehead. "Sorry… I wish we had somewhere warmer to go…"

"I's okay. I don mind so much." Near said, his eyes closing.

Mello smiled a little and let his eyes close as well. He didn't know why but he really liked the feeling of Near cuddling up to him. He'd never been big on hugs before now, but there was something about the tiny albino that he found himself drawn to.

Half asleep, Mello brushed his lips gently over Near's forehead, then began to doze.

Near felt the affectionate gesture, whether or not it was intentional he didn't know, but his eyes slipped open more, regardless. He looked up at Mello to confirm that the blonde was, indeed asleep.

_'A accident?'  
_  
The fair child smiled slightly as he craned to reach the older boy's cheek, where he bestowed a small kiss of his own, the entire time unsure of why he was doing it. Immediately afterwards he settled in once again, relishing the warmth of the body next to him, and began to doze.

A/N: Well that was a good and long chapter! I really love this. And it will still continue to get better! So… will Mello and Near ever find Near's precious stuffed bunny? Maybe it'll be revealed in the next chapter! So, keep reading! And be sure to let me know your thoughts!

Please review!  
_-Forbiddensoul562_


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry for the delay in uploading this, but with exams being the previous week there was simply no way that I was going to be able to upload. But, now that it's summer vacation I have all the time in the world. So, here is the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, or any of the characters in this story.

Chapter 5

It must have been a good few hours later when Mello finally woke up again. There was noise, people. He could hear their voices as they walked past the alleyway –talking on their phones or to each other and he could hear the sound of the café door, nearby, dingling faintly as it opened and closed with the flow of customers.

Mello opened his blue eyes slowly and found the world to be light and sunny once again. There was no more rain, and the wet pavement was now almost completely dry.

He glanced downwards and found Near, curled up, still sleeping at his chest. He smiled again, mostly out of relief that nothing bad had happened while they were sleeping.

He nudged Near a little. "Nia? I think it's morning…"

Near made a small noise of protest, as he was quite content and warm where he was. But finally his dark eyes slipped open and met the morning light. "I's not wainin'." He observed aloud.

"Yup!" Mello said happily as his fingers found Near's sides. He contemplated forcibly removing the other body, but got a slightly better idea.

He reached below the hem of Near's shirt and tickled his sides. "Up!" He said, giggling.

Near couldn't fight his laughter, but he instantly moved away from the blonde's reach. "Ok!" He said through the laughter.

Mello grinned.

Near's eyes widened a bit as he realized what the morning meant, "We can find my bunny now?" He asked with evident joy sparkling in his eyes.

"Mhm." Mello said with a nod as he stood up and stretched, the blanket falling off his lap as he did so. "Let's check the café since it's morning, now." He said as he gathered and folded the blanket. "Then we'll go to the marketplace.

Near nodded, standing up as well and stretching his small body. "Maybe we'll hab bedder wuck today."

After tossing the blanket into his backpack Mello zipped it up and threw it over his shoulders. "Yeah, I think so." He said as he stepped out of the alleyway and unto the sidewalk, looking at the café, which was just a few steps away.

Near followed after him and eyed the café, that was so close to them. There already appeared to be a lot of people there and Near had the sinking feeling that if his bunny had been there that someone might have taken it by now.

"Well, come on." Mello said, beckoning Near by the café door he held open. "Maybe we can get some breakfast in here." He said, hoping that would be enough to make the worried-looking albino hurry up.

Near followed after him without another word and entered into the café. Seeing the many people there instantly made him take a step closer to the blonde. "S-should we… ask peopow?" He asked, looking back to have the answer.

Mello frowned at the slight crowd and grabbed Near's hand for the umpteenth time this trip. "Let's… we'll ask the shop owner when we get to the front of the line." He said as he took a spot in line behind a woman carrying too many bags for her own good.

All the while Mello was scowering every inch of the shop, searching hard for the elusive bunny toy.

He'd seen Near with it many times before. It was fluffy and white, just like him, and also rather large compared to the tiny Near (although it was smaller than him, of course), with long dangling ears and black beady eyes.

But he couldn't find it anywhere.

Near surveyed all of the people as well, twisting this way and that in order to be completely sure that he searched every inch of the shop.

He remembered this place from the previous day and all the wonderful smells the shop held. But it didn't matter so much now, all that mattered was trying to remember if he had had his bunny at the time or not.

He remembered Roger talking to the shopkeeper for a long time… and remembered watching Mello try to steal some sweets from the display counter. Then he remembered Roger scolding him for doing such. But did here have his bunny?

That one thought eluded him.

Mello sighed and tapped his foot on the floor, impatient to get to the front of the line and ask about the bunny. Sadly, there were still a few people in front of them.  
"Do you see it, Nia?" He asked Near quietly, although he was sure he already knew the answer.

"No…" Near replied sadly with a sigh as he looked back at Mello from where he had been looking towards the front of the store. "Maybe… maybe dey picked id up and hab it in the back." He suggested, trying to remain positive despite his sinking heart.

Mello nodded, "Maybe."

"Excuse me, little mister, can I help you?" A cheery looking redheaded woman asked as she peered over the side of the counter at him.

Mello jumped a little, not having noticed they were up at the front of the line already. He glanced at the woman, who was smiling down at them almost creepily.

"Uh…" Mello started nervously. "We're looking for a lost bunny."

"A white bunny." Near piped in from where he'd snuck behind Mello.

She blinked. "A live one?"

"No! A toy Bunny. A white toy bunny." Mello corrected himself.

The woman shook her head. "Sorry boys, I haven't seen any toys lying around."

Mello frowned. Yet another dead end.

Near sighed, "Didju check the back?" He asked hopefully.

She smiled, "I'll go check, you two hang tight." The woman disappeared for a few moments before returning with empty hands. "Sorry! I couldn't find anything."

Mello glanced at the younger boy, not at all looking forward to the sulk he knew was coming. "We'll find it, Near." He said reassuringly. "We will."

Near's eyes dropped to the floor. "I hope so…"

Mello looked back at the lady behind the counter, "We'd like to buy something, too." He said.

He nudged Near slightly, turning him to look at the pastries and donuts being displayed under the counter. "You want something?"

Near sighed again. He wasn't hungry… he was just sad and felt horribly sick now. But he knew he had to at least get something, or his upset state would only show more.

He pointed to one of the powdery donuts. "Can I hab one of dose?" His hopeful, dark eyes moved to Mello.

Mello eyed the price tag and nodded. "Can I get one powdery donut and a chocolate fritter?" He asked the lady politely.

The redhead lady smiled and nodded, "Sure thing."

She got a little paper bag and used tongs to handle the pastries they'd ordered. Then, she took the back over to the cash register and typed in the price. "That's two dollars and thirty seven cents." She replied with a smile.

Mello reached into his pocket and counted out the change, which of course, he paid exact, down to the last penny.

"Here you go." The redhead replied as she handed Mello the bag. "I hope you two have a nice day and find your bunny."

Mello didn't bother correcting the lady –telling her that it was only Near's rabbit. He was too busy taking his own donut from the bag and then handing the paper container to Near.

"Come on, let's go eat outside." He said, taking a bite out of the fat end of his fritter.

Near took the bag from Mello and followed him out of the crowded café. Once they were outside he took out his selected donut and took a small bite from it.

Mello sat down on the sidewalk curb and took another bite out of his fritter. He sighed a little but continued to eat in silence.

Near sat with him, taking small bites from his donut as his downcast eyes watched the  
street. "I wonda if they know weh gone…" He finally said vaguely, and out of the blue.

Mello looked over to Near for a moment, thinking. "Probably by now…" He smiled, "Roger's gonna be angry…"

"Maybe… he'll unersand?"

Mello shrugged. "He'll probably just blame me." He replied monotonously.

"But… it not your fault." He looked over to Mello.

He smiled a little and shrugged before taking another bite out of his fritter, getting a few chocolate crumbs around his mouth. "It don't matter…" He replied, his voice slightly muffled by the cookie in his mouth.

Mello crinkled the paper bag in his hands and stuffed the remnants of the sugary pastry in his mouth. Then, after a moment of chewing, swallowed hard. "_Guh_… would be better with milk." He complained, brushing the crumbs from his hands and off his lap.

Near began eating his own donut quicker now, as he knew Mello would want to move again soon. "Well… atweast we got breakfast." He said, looking over at Mello.

The blonde nodded. His mind was far too pre-occupied to be worried about small things like breakfast right now, though. Ever since Near had asked him if he thought Roger knew they were gone already, he'd begun to worry.

Sure, they were here now and the damage had been done, they might as well just find the stupid bunny, but then what? Go home? How?

"We probably gotta walk home, now, Nia." Mello mumbled as he stared ahead of him, a small car passed by, but the exhaust from the engine cleared out the air almost instantly. "It'll be a big walk, I think."

Near sighed, "Cannwe find a wide again?" He asked, taking another bite and finishing off his own breakfast.

Mello looked at him quickly. "Don't whine about it. We were lucky to get a ride _that _time." He scolded. "At least we're gonna get your bunny. You can hold it all the way home." Mello resolved.

"I can't wait to get my bunny back." Near had to smile as he looked out onto the street and thought about it. Just the thought of holding the white bunny close, feeling the softness of it against his skin and the protection it always offered him… he could hardly wait.

A/N: So, there was the next chapter! Still no bunny, I wonder where it could be. Where did little Near leave the poor bunny? Maybe we'll find out next chapter! By the way, not sure when the next chapter will come out. I have it written but it needs to be edited. We'll see how it goes. In any case, Let me know what you think!

Please review!  
_-Forbiddensoul562_


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry this took so long to post, but I've been busy with other stories and what not, so I kind of set this one on the back burner for a while because I know it's so easy. But, anyway, here's the next installment of this story! Thanks to Insanitoon for editing this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters used in this story

Chapter 6

After a minute, Mello stood up. "You done? We still have to check the market and the toy store." He explained.

Near stood up after he dusted the white powder from the breakfast from his fingers. "Let's go look." He said, looking around, then, "Which way?"

"Hm…" Mello walked over to the front of the bakery show and tossed the paper bag into the trash can that was placed there. He glanced down the street, both ways, before making up his mind. "This way." He said, taking Near's hand, yet again, and leading him off in the direction he remembered to be correct.

"I'm glad this town is so small, what if it were a big city, huh? We'd be here forever!" He mused, pulling Near along whilst perhaps taking strides that were slightly too wide for the tiny albino, since Mello was in a hurry.

"I-I wouldn't want to go in a big city…" Near trailed off, walking quicker to catch up to the blonde and trying to stick closer to him so they wouldn't get separated in the groups of people walking around them.

"I guess so… but I think it would be cool to see all the big buildings and all the people." Mello replied, frowning when a man stopped in front of them to tie his shoe.

The blonde quickly grew impatient and weaved around the man so they could continue. "You get scared a lot, Near. Of everything, you know?" He said, remembering the comment about the city.

"You should try being braver." Mello offered.

Near looked up to Mello, "How I do that, Mero?"

Mello blinked in confusion. No one had ever asked him such a strange question before. Why was Near always so hard to keep quiet? He frowned. "I dunno, just stop being such a fraidy cat. Just don't be scared." He replied bluntly, unsure of what else to say.

"I not scared right now." Near commented. "And when I get my bunny back… I won't be either."

"Good." Mello concluded as the open market came into view. Of course, as usual, it was packed with people. Grocers, merchants, and customers alike, all swarming around and making an alarming amount of noise as they went about their business.

The thought of having to deal with these moderate crowds didn't exactly please the young blonde, and he'd been hoping for them to have been able to search the market last night, when everything was quiet.

Unfortunately, the rain had slowed them down and now Mello knew finding the bunny would be _that_ much harder.

"I guess we shouldn't split up to look, huh?" Mello asked, looking down at the wide-eyed albino, who was now, at the sight of the crowd, clutching his hand tighter than before.

"Um…" Near looked nervously at the crowd of people. He feared getting lost in there and never being able to find Mello again. "Y-yeah, dat would work."

Mello nodded, not even bothering to argue that he believed Near would be perfectly safe without him. "Alright, let's just look. Do you remember what booths you were looking at yesterday? You just lead the way, okay, I don't 'member where all the places you went were."

Near nodded but looked back to the crowds and began feeling even more nervous than he had before.

The previous day, when they had been here, there had not been nearly as many people. But now, there were, and he feared getting lost, or any other horrible thing that might happen.

Even so, he began through the crowds of people –looking at different booths around them, though hardly remembering anything they were seeing.

Mello watched Near closely and tagged along behind him, holding onto the boy's hand. _'I hope Nia knows where to go…'_ The young blonde told himself. _'This place is huge! If his bunny is here, it'll take forever to find it.'_

Near continued walking, looking all around him for any sign of his bunny and gripping tighter to Mello's hand every time they bumped into someone. He hated being around this big group of people. "I-I don know how we'll find it here, with so many people." He finally said.

Mello sighed. "Don't you remember what booths you looked at? We should just check those."

"Um… I think I was over here." He said, leading the blonde over to the other side, where some more booths were set up. He began looking again, in the same way he had before.

Mello nodded and started looking around. Despite the nearly overwhelming crowds, he could still make out most of the booth once the people cleared out of the way.

This one was unlike the others, that mostly just sold fruit, clothing, or jewelry, but instead this stand had several small wooden models on display. Mello could see why Near had wanted to come here in the first place, the little kid loved making models, didn't he?

Mello didn't waste too much time looking at the little carved pieces of wood, instead searching for something larger, something white. "I don't see it, Nia." He said after a few minutes in which they were starting to hold up the line.

So he pulled the younger boy and himself out of it.

Near sighed, "Me either…" He said, quite depressed.

Mello continued pulling Near aside, until they were by the curb away from most of the crowd. He sat down on the rise in the pavement and finally let go of Near's hand. "Let's wait," He said, still gazing at the swarming crowds. "Later there will be less people. Okay?"

"But if we wait, they may… what if they take my bunny, Mero!" He pulled on the end of his shirt and looked from the blonde out to the crowd of people.

There were so many of them… any of them could see that vulnerable bunny sitting alone somewhere and just take it before he had the chance to retrace his steps back to it.

He feared losing it above all else, and until now he had done well at keeping calm. But as he saw all the people there, it made him anxious to see his bunny, and to know it was safe with him again.

The fear was starting to creep into his mind, like rust on a leaky tap faucet.

Mello watched Near closely. He could tell the younger boy was starting to lose his patience with the whole situation. Mello was certain he could even see the tears budding in the corners of his dark eyes.

The young blonde frowned. This wasn't really his fault, right? Why should he be feeling so sympathetic towards the other boy? It was Near's fault he'd brought something so precious into town and had been scatterbrained enough to lose it.

Mello was already doing him a favor by helping in the search, as it was, the blonde was trying his best, Near should stop complaining.

"We'll find it later." Mello persisted. "If we try to look now we might get separated. Just stop whining and sit down, okay? You're a nuisance."

Near said nothing more, but sat down away from Mello and drew his knees up close to himself, then burying his head into them so his face couldn't be seen. His idea being that maybe if he didn't have to see Mello and the other people, then maybe he wouldn't fear for his precious bunny as much.

Maybe he would believe that they still had a chance at finding it.

A/N: So that was a cute ending for this chapter, I personally think. It's sad, Near's beginning to lose hope of them finding his poor, lost bunny. So far, no one's been able to get it right about where that bunny might be! Oh well, you all shall find out pretty soon!

Please review!  
_-Forbiddensoul562_


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: You know, it's actually been so long since I updated this story that I really don't remember where our two bunny-searching orphans are. Wow! I guess we shall find out! Anyway, thank you to everyone who has been reviewing thus far! This is doing very well so far, and hopefully everyone will like where this chapter takes us as well as where it ends up going in later chapters! Quite honestly, I think you will. It's a nice ride.

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters used in this story.

Chapter 7

Mello looked away from the pouting Near who was sitting not too far away from him. He didn't like dealing with unhappy kids, but there wasn't really anything he could do right now to fix things.

Instead, Mello thought that maybe looking around at their surroundings a bit, and taking in the sites of the rather colourful marketplace would be a nice way to get his mind off of everything that had been happening.

First, his eyes darted to the people that were walking by them, staring straight ahead, completely oblivious to the children seated on the street curb below. They all seemed so preoccupied in their own lives to notice.

Then, his eyes moved again, to the different advertising signs that were set around the area. They were, of course, appealing to the eye, and he admired the designs and logos on each one.

His gaze then sunk to the street once again, and fell to an open sewer gate set into the curb right by them. Normally, the open gap in them was fairly wide, in order to allow debris to be washed into the sewer, but this one seemed to have been broken open at some point –which made the opening even more pronounced. Mello knew he'd be able to see inside, and perhaps even fit into it, if he really wanted to.

Curiously, the blonde lent over slightly so he could peer into the darkness that lay inside.

"Hm…" He inched a bit closer, all the while looking down into the dark grate as he listened to the sound of the dirty water rushing below. Something caught his eye.

"What's that?" He said aloud, to himself.

When he moved closer to the opening, he could see it a bit better. There was something hanging limply from one of the pipes just below the surface of the ground.

It looked like fur, and at first Mello recoiled in disgust, fearing it was some sort of dead animal, but then, when he looked back, he noticed it couldn't be alive at all –considering he could see stitching on it. It was just a slightly stained, white rabbit toy dangling over the darkness.

"Hey!" He exclaimed loudly. "The bunny!"

He got down on the knees and crawled over to the large sewer opening to get a better look. "I see your bunny, Near! It's down there." He pointed in towards it.

Near instantly shot up; his eyes wide when the words reached him. He looked over and found Mello by the sewer opening, which he hadn't even noticed being there before. "My bunny?" He asked, hopefully.

"Yeah! I think that's it, do you see?" Mello asked, leaning slightly and pointing at the bit of fluff hanging from the pole.

Near moved closer to where Mello was peering into the broken sewer opening. After a moment of letting his eyes adjust to the darkness he was looking at, he saw the white that Mello had been talking about. "My bunny, Mero! Dat's my bunny!" He exclaimed happily. "But how does we get it?"

"Uh…" Mello inched towards the opening and leant in, reaching desperately for the white bunny.

At first he thought he may have nicked the fabric, but no matter how far he reached, he couldn't quite grab it. Mello frowned as he tried once again. "It must've… been washed down here…" He groaned, straining slightly as he reached further and nearly teetered off the edge of the pavement now. "When it rained." He finished.

He strained his reach again, almost catching the fur in his hands. It was a close miss.

"Stupid thing." He said to himself. "I'm almost there…"

"Don fall, Mero." Near said worriedly as he grabbed onto the end of Mello's shirt. He knew that if Mello _was_ to fall, that this wouldn't do much. But he wasn't sure what else to do, for he didn't want to impede upon Mello's ability to get his bunny back.

His heart was beating hard in his chest, both from the worry about what Mello was doing, and for the nervousness he felt about his poor bunny that was in there –just out of reach.

"I won't…" He growled, leaning in more, throwing off the controlled balance he had for just a second as he reached out one more for the elusive toy.

Then, in a split second, Mello's knee slipped from the edge of the open grate, and he lost his balance completely; tumbling down into the grate.

"Ah!" Mello screamed as he quickly caught himself on the same pole Near's rabbit was hanging from. His small legs were dangling over the rushing sewer water below.

He looked down, eyes wide and fearful, as if he were afraid the dingy brown river might suck him under with it. He was so frightened, and the pole was slippery.

"Nia!" Mello called up to the other boy as he struggled hard to hold on. "Help me!" He cried, the terror evident in his voice.

Near'd felt Mello fall from his grasp; all of it happening too quick for him to catch. He looked desperately through the grate, his hands shaking. "I-I'll get somemun to help!" He tried to tell him, pulling back to look around at all the people.

_'Somemun…'_ He thought, but his fear and terror held back his voice. _'Somemun help Mero!' _He couldn't bring himself to even move as he searched for anyone that might be able to help the blonde.

"Nia! No-ah!" Mello cried as he tried to kick up from the water, so he could get closer to the opening, where Near sat, and the light was pouring in. "Reach, Near!" Mello demanded, extending a wobbly hand toward the boy.

Mello's cry made Near's dark, and frightened eyes turn back to him, and spotting the hand that was extended towards him.

He went back to the opening and extended his hand out to Mello. "I can't ge'chu, Mero! You gonna pull me in, too!" He moved his hand further, and could hear the fault in his voice, brought on from the fear of Mello falling and being swept away.

What would he do if that happened? The thought scarred him.

Mello didn't know how to respond. He didn't want to pull Near in, but he was so scared of falling. Instead, he just whimpered softly, as tears began to run down his cheeks. "I can… almost…" He sobbed again, reaching for the ledge where Near was.

He managed to swing his knee back up unto the pole, and thankfully he reached the ledge. Breathing a sigh of relief, he started to crawl back up again.

Then, he remembered the bunny toy.

He nodded grimly and reached back down for it.

But suddenly, his knee slipped and Mello yelped –having to jump for the ledge at the last moment so he wouldn't fall to the water below. He hit his head on the steel grate as he reached the ledge this time.

Despite the stinging in his head, Mello managed to pull himself back up unto the street; his breathing now heavy. He cast one last glance down into the darkness. He could see his backpack, which must have fallen from his back at some point in his fall, now quickly disappearing under the water below.

The bunny was slipping from the pole as well.

"The bunny!" Mello was actually considering going back for it when the little limp toy finally slipped off and fell into the water below –quickly being carried away by the current.

Mello sighed and collapsed in front of Near, on the pavement. "I… I'm sorry…" One of Mello's hands went to the top of his head, where a large bump was forming. It stung, but what stung worse was the defeat –the fact that he'd come so close and had still lost Near's bunny.

Near was silent as he felt the sadness fill him while he watched his bunny being carried away from them. They'd come so close. It had been right there in front of them.

Somehow, he pushed that thought away and moved himself forward –hugging Mello tight. "I'z okay." He said, "I glad you didn fall."

Mello sighed, mostly out of relief that Near wasn't going to throw a tantrum. That was the last thing Mello wanted right now, with his head _already_ stinging.

He took a few quick, heavy breaths and lay there for another moment. "That was so scary." He sat up and grinned. "I gotta tell Matt about how I almost died!" He said loudly. "Ugh, my head…" One hand returned to his head as the pain flooded to the sore area on his crown.

Near looked to where Mello's hand went. "You hit yow head." He stated, quite unnecessarily. "It hurt?" He asked innocently, looking worriedly at Mello.

Mello nodded, wincing. "A bit. Is it bleeding?" He looked quickly at his hands, checking for any blood.

Near moved from where he had been hugging Mello, when he lowered his head, so he could look at the area that he'd hit. "I don't tink so, Mero." He said; then leaned closer so he could kiss the sore spot –all the while making sure to be as gentle as he could.

Mello blushed a little as he sat up, eyeing the boy. "You're like a mom. Moms kiss owies, right?" He asked, still blushing a bit.

"I jus kiss it to make it feel beddow." He said, offering a smile.

"Oh…" Mello nodded, smiling a little, and then he looked around uncomfortably. "I… That's good." He looked down at his hands and frowned. "Ah! What a mess! My hands are so gross!" He explained, quickly wiping the grime from the pole onto his pants

He sighed. "I'm sorry I lost your bunny, Nia. I dunno how we could find it now…"

Near sighed, stepping back and looking down at his inward-pointed feet. The sadness over the loss of his bunny was flooding back into him once more. But he was trying not to lose hope just yet. "Maybe… we follow the dwain somehow?"

"Where do you think it goes?" Mello asked, standing up and continuing to brush off his hands of the grime from the pole he'd held on so desperately to.

"I… not sure." Near admitted, letting his eyes follow the sidewalk all the way that he could see. He knew, in the least, that the water was flowing in that direction; which meant that that was the way his bunny was headed.

Mello frowned. The odds were definitely against them now. Even Mello knew there was an even smaller chance of finding the bunny now then there had been before.

A/N: I told you all no one would be able to guess where the bunny ended up being! But what's this?! The bunny is still being elusive! Will they be able to find it now that it's been carried away? Or, what will they do if they can't? Let me know what you think, or any comments you might have!

Please review!  
_-Forbiddensoul562_


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I'm actually really glad that this story was done the way it was (that we did it all before I posted any of it) Because, now, when I have like… 8 other projects that aren't done, having this already done makes it easier to do. I'm not sure if that makes any sense, but, it's become where this is my fall-back story. Or… it gives my mind a rest from the others. Oh well, I still enjoy it. I'll be sad when it's all over…

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters in this story.

Chapter 8

_'What to do… what to do…'_ Mello wondered to himself as he watched Near fret. _'I can't just tell Nia it's over… he'll cry.'_

He checked his pocket, relieved to find that the money he'd brought with them was still there. Mello was glad he hadn't kept it in his backpack with everything else, or it'd be gone by now. "Nia… can I… buy you a new bunny?" He asked, somewhat afraid of what Near's answer was going to be.

Near's eyes fell to the ground as Mello spoke. He knew his bunny was probably gone for good. They had such a little chance of finding it now. But… that didn't mean he could just let it go so easily.

"Maybe… we can twy again… for a wil bit." His dark eyes looked back to Mello –now full of sadness and longing for his bunny, and also the natural innocence that they always somehow held. "If we not find it… den we can get a new one. It'll mean sometin too… because I'z from Mero." A small smile played across his face as he spoke the last part.

He was trying not to be so hurt by the fact that his special bunny was probably gone. He was trying to be positive. If only so Mello wouldn't feel guilty.

"But… where do you want to go look, now?" Mello asked, ignoring the 'it'll mean something' comment.

"We jus fowwow where it went." Near replied, beginning to walk down the sidewalk again to demonstrate what he meant. It seemed like a rather logical plan, to him. "Maybe it lead us dere?"

Mello sighed. Near's plan seemed absolutely ridiculous, but why argue now?

"Fine, lead the way… I guess.." He replied, still rubbing his head irritably.

Near did just that, following the sidewalk they were on through the streets and past many shops and through crowds of people. The more they walked, the more hopeful he got that the sidewalk –with the sewer underneath- would lead them to some building. Wherever the sewer went, anyway.

There, he hoped, he would find his bunny again.

However, after a while of walking in that one direction, the street opened up, and Near had to suddenly stop at the sight of what was ahead of them.

It was a four-way intersection.

His eyes darted in different directions, observing all the stores that lined every street, and then all the different cars that drove across the streets. Now he was confused. Where did they go from here?

Which way had his bunny been taken?

Mello walked up behind Near, his arms folded across his chest. _'This is hopeless…'_ He thought, _'What is Near hoping to accomplish?'_ But he didn't say a word, since it was better to just let Near have his way at this point, than to end up upsetting the boy again.

"Which way now?" He finally asked.

Near continued desperately looking around the open area that they were at. But he saw nothing that would help him. Not even a single thing to give him a clue. His look fell in despair. "I…I don't know…" He admitted.

Mello's look fell as well. He hung his head low and came up behind Near, laying one hand on his back. "If it's not none of my business…" He began, quietly. "Why is that bunny… so… special? Is it just cuz it scares away monsters? Cuz I can do that too, right?" He asked.

Near didn't turn back to him, but let his eyes look up and begin observing the different cross-ways again. "I tol you last nigh… My mama gave it to me." He sighed. "But… yeah, you can scare monsers away too…"

"Well, I know that…but…" Mello replied, frowning. He just didn't understand the significance. So it was given to him by his mother, big deal. "She's dead, right? So what does it matter anymore?"

"I woved my mama! How will I 'member her if… I don got the bunny she gived me?" Near said, rather irritated at first for Mello even daring to say it like it wasn't a big deal. But his tone grew quieter again as he went on.

Mello sensed the irritation in Near's voice, but he still didn't understand. "Well…" He began softly, trying to make Near understand what he meant. "I guess it's nice to remember your mom, and dad… and stuff, but they're dead, right? My mom's dead, too, but that doesn't mean anything now because she's gone. Memories are different than toys, you know."

"I know…" Near said, quietly. He was so attached to that bunny. It felt like all the memories he did have of his mother were attached to that little stuffed rabbit. To him, if he lost that forever, then he'd lose her too.

But it seemed like Mello was suggesting trying to remember her without the bunny. He wasn't even sure if that was possible now. "But what if I forget?" He turned a bit to Mello as he asked.

Mello smiled a little. "Don't be stupid, you won't forget her. Why would that happen?"

Near shrugged, "I unno… I jus… don't wanna forget her." He looked down a bit. Just the thought of letting her slip away depressed him.

Mello nodded. He knew what Near meant. Sometimes it was easier to ground yourself to something intangible like a memory when you had something physical to tie it to.

After his own mother had died, Mello hadn't let anyone cut his hair for him. His mother had always been the one to trim it, and he missed her gentle hands tending to it. No one else could do it right, no one else was gentle like she was.

But eventually, Mello realized that if he didn't let someone trim it for him, the hair his mother had worked hard to keep beautiful would become overgrown and no longer nice to look at. Mello knew he had to make a change, even if he didn't like think that way. His mother was gone, and he had to keep living life, even if it meant letting go of some parts of her. He knew he'd always have his memories.

Mello took a deep breath of the fresh air and stepped forwards, wrapping his arms around Near in a tight hug. He knew that Near probably felt very alone without his mother, and, of course, without the rabbit he'd connected to her.

He just wanted to assure Near of the opposite, and so, against his nature, Mello held Near closely; ignoring the people that were walking by them and just focusing on Near for once.

Near was surprised by Mello's sudden action; his eyes widened a bit, but he soon got a grip on what was going on and hesitantly allowed himself to return the hug Mello was giving, and let his eyes close.

He felt safe in Mello's embrace, now, and he liked it.

It wasn't the same as how his mother's hugs used to be… but it was close, and that's what he liked. He wasn't sure what to say… or if there was anything to say at a moment such as this. So he simply let himself remain silent.

Every moment that he stayed against Mello like that, he couldn't help but think how much he liked the comfort it brought along… and how much he could really get used to it. But he wouldn't speak that to Mello, for he knew the moment he did the blonde would feel the need to recoil, for one reason or another.

"I sowwy I act silly 'bout dis…" Near heard himself reply, although he wasn't sure where it had come from.

Mello smiled fondly, pleased to see that Near was accepting his attempt at comforting him. He reached up with one hand and ran it slowly through Near's smooth white hair; the other hand still placed firmly on Near's back.

"It's okay. I hate it when I lose stuff, too. Especially gifts. It really sucks, but it's not the end of the world, you know?" He replied.

"Yeah…" Near said, relaxing furthering into the feeling of the fingers in his hair. "I shouldn have bwought my bunny…"

"Next time, leave important stuff at home, where it's safer." Mello reminded him –leaning forward to brush his face up against the top of Near's head and admiring the way the smooth hairs tickled his cheeks. "Can I buy you a new bunny, please? Then we can go home." Mello pleaded. He really wanted to just get back to Wammy's again.

Near paused, exhaling lightly and nuzzling into Mello's warmth. "Yes…" He finally answered, quietly.

A/N: So, this chapter was kind of short, I know, and didn't have much action. But, you know, it was still meaningful, and had some nice fluff in it. We're getting ever closer to the end of the story! Isn't that sad? Oh well, there's still lots of nice scenes coming up. So, let me know what you think and I'll get the next chapter up as soon as possible!

Please review!  
_-Forbiddensoul562_


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Sorry this is so late to come out. I've had it done for a while, but… you know, procrastination and all. I'm actually kind of disappointed that I wasn't able to complete my goal over this summer. Oh well… I'm becoming a slow author, I suppose. Anyway, this story has about… maybe 2 or 3 more chapters to go. My Mello and I haven't decided if there's going to be a sequel to it yet, or not. Personally, I'm hoping there will be. Something equally as cute.

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters in this story.

Chapter 9

Mello took a deep breath and raised his head again. He just stared down at Near for a moment, fascinated at the way the other boy was clinging to him. Before this trip into town, Mello had never seen Near be so physically close to anybody –especially not himself.

It almost made him proud to know that Near had decided to open up to him.

Mello reached down and took Near's hand again. "Let's go to the toy store, okay? You can pick one out and I'll buy it."

Near smiled when he pulled back a bit. "And I pay Mero back afder."

Mello shook his head and started walking again; making sure that Near was keeping up. "It's a gift. You don't have to pay me back for it."

Near looked down as he walked, letting Mello lead the way. He felt guilty for letting Mello buy him another bunny. He knew he should be the one to buy it… since he had lost it in the first place. But at the same time, he had no money and no other way of getting one. So, he kept quiet about it. "Dank you, Mero."

Mello nodded but didn't say anything more until they reached the toy shop, which, luckily, was only a few blocks away from where they had previously been.

"Okay." Mello said, standing back and holding the door to the shop open for Near. "Go pick one out, okay? Nothing _too_ 'spensive."

Near nodded, the last thing he wanted was to take advantage of Mello's generosity.

Near entered into the toy store and went straight for the stuffed animal section. Fortunately, he knew exactly where the section was, since they had just been there the other day. He remembered going there and looking at all the different animals; all the while holding his own bunny close to him.

Mello just stood back, by the wall, and watched as Near rushed forwards. He found it almost cute how excited the other boy was getting just from being in a toy store.

He really loved that sort of thing.

Mello's eyes drifted to the counter, where a man sat with his face hidden by a newspaper. _'I should ask him if there's a bus that can take us back to Wammy's.'_ Mello told himself as he continued to watch Near. _'Later, once Near's got a toy.'  
_  
Meanwhile, Near went down the aisles and looked at each of the animals that were all stuffed together randomly. He figured finding a white bunny like his old one would be difficult.

He looked around at all the different choices… there were stuffed bears, and sheep, and even elephants too, but no rabbits. He felt his heart drop at the thought of being forced to get any another animal.

His dark eyes rapidly scanned each one, and when he found none he began digging through the piles of animals that sat in a wired crate –desperately searching for one rabbit… just any rabbit would do, though, of course, he preferred it to be white.

Finally, though, he saw a white bunny at the very bottom.

It looked like it had that wonderfully new, soft material, long floppy ears, and black eyes that stared at him, somehow longingly –wanting Near to pick it and take it home.

Near was happy to oblige.

He quickly grabbed it, as though someone else might snatch it up first if he didn't take it himself. Then, he proudly made his way back to where Mello had stayed.

Mello laughed a little at how determined the look on Near's face was, when he marched back to him with the rabbit clutched in his hands. "Nice. White." Was all Mello could think of to say as he eyed the toy. "You want that one?"

Near nodded, holding the rabbit close to him so he wouldn't be careless and forget this one too.

"Alright." Mello said as he reached out to take it from Near. "I gotta pay for it."

Near gave it up, finally, and let Mello take the bunny so they could pay for it. "Don woos it…" He said, quietly.

"I won't." He said with a small chuckle, somewhat pleased to find that Near was going to be more careful with this one.

He took the toy in his hands, noticing instantly just how smooth it's fur was, and hurried off towards the counter top. Mello frowned when he noticed how tall this counter was.  
He got on his tip toes in order to peer over the top. "Hey!" He said, waving the toy around. "Can I buy this?"

The man sitting behind the counter stirred and sat up. It appeared that he hadn't been reading the newspaper, but actually sleeping behind it. He lowered the newspaper, and blinked his eyes a few times, peering down at the two young boys standing just below the counter.

"Hm? You want this?" The man asked, still rubbing at his eyes as he took the toy from Mello and scanned it's tag.

Mello nodded, even though he knew he didn't have to.

"Okay. That's six dollars and ninety-nine cents." The man replied, as he laid the toy on the counter.

Mello reached into his pocket and withdrew some crumpled bills as well as a few coins. He counted out the exact change and reached up to slide it onto the counter.

The man smiled a little at how meticulous this child was being, giving him exact change, but didn't say a thing. He only took the money and put it into his cash register. "Alright, here's your toy." He then said, passing the bunny back down to Mello.

The short blonde took it into his arms but remained staring up at the man. "Sir? Is there a bus that goes up on the highway north of here?"

The man blinked, slightly surprised at the question. "North? How far are you two going?" He asked.

"Just to the orphanage." Mello replied quickly, his expression solemn. "Is that too far?"

"Hm…" The man cracked his knuckles and tucked his hands behind his head. "There isn't any bus that goes up that far. You'd have to take the train to get there."

Mello shot him a confused look. "Where can we get on the train?"

The shopkeeper laughed softly. "The train station is just down the road from here. You go out, take a left at the first intersection, and follow Melby road right down until you see it. There's only two trains, one that goes east, to Brimmingham, and the other north, the way you're going."

Mello nodded, watching the man intently, making a mental note of everything he'd said.

"How do we know when to get off?" He asked after a few seconds of quiet memorization.

"You're going to the orphanage, right?"

"Yes."

"Just ask the conductor if you're not sure, but I think it's Pine Grove. That's what it says on the sign, I'm pretty sure." He replied.

Mello smiled politely and nodded.

"Is it 'spensive to go on the train?" was Mello's final question.

"Nah. A kid's pass is only two dollars. You're definitely both under nine, so I'm sure you'll be alright. Make sure you tell them you're from the orphanage, just in case they ask where your Mom and Paps are." The shopkeeper replied, helpfully.

"'Kay! Thank you very much." Mello said.

"No problem. You hurry up and get to the train station before night, alright?" The shop keeper finished up, settling back into his chair –no doubt preparing for another nap behind his paper.

Mello turned around and faced Near. "Alright? We're gonna ride the train home. So now we don't have ta walk there, or itchhike again."

Near smiled. "Dat's good. Maybe we get der faser, too."

"Yeah, now take this, and be careful this time." Mello said, holding out the rabbit toy.

Near took it, and held it, as though it was being given to him for the first time. "You know…" He said, still watching the new bunny. "When my Mama gave me my old bunny, she gave me a kiss with it too."

Mello frowned a little at this random piece of information, wondering what possessed Near to tell him that. "That was nice of her… I guess." He replied as he turned towards the door.

Near stepped forwards to follow and his eyes moved slightly to Mello, now. "Well… you gave me a bunny now, too…" He trailed off.

Mello turned back to look at Near, eyebrows raised suspiciously. "Right. So now you have a new one… is there something wrong?"

Near fidgeted a bit in his spot and he couldn't figure out which to look at –the bunny, or Mello. "Well… shouldn you do it, too?" He asked; feeling a bit embarrassed now.

"Do what _too_?" Mello asked, still not catching on. Though, after a moment, his eyes widened in realization. "You… want me to kiss you?"

Near, however, didn't say anything in response. He simply let Mello draw the conclusion for himself. He felt embarrassed about even bringing it up. But he wasn't so sure why. It was just a reaction, he supposed.

"Er…" Mello mumbled softly, starting to feel slightly uncomfortable. Near just wanted a kiss, right? Like his mother had given him. It was a pretty innocent request and there was really no reason why Mello should fly off the handle about it.

That, and the mere prospect of kissing Near, in itself, was not an overall unbearable idea.

Still… "I'm not your mom, Near." Mello replied, staring at him, expression solemn, stiff as a board yet still having not pulled away from the situation.

"It doesn mader, you still got it fow me." Near stated.

Mello frowned. Near was going to try to avoid saying anything because he didn't want to seem vulnerable. None-the-less, Mello wasn't going to do a thing until he knew exactly what Near wanted from him. "I gave you a rabbit toy, that doesn't make me your mother. Do you want me to kiss you, or not?" He asked.

Near finally looked at him, and nodded simply.

Mello sighed and blushed again. Was he really going to do this? He'd never kissed anybody before; he didn't even know how to. He was somewhat afraid he'd even do it wrong.

But, then again, how would Near know? He'd never been kissed before either, right? This would be a new experience for the both of them.

His heart was pounding in his chest. Part of Mello was telling him not to do this. That it was silly. That Near and him were both boys, only friends, too young, _anything_. And he also knew that he'd probably never live it down if he gave it to Near like this, but, for some reason, Mello _desired_ to kiss him.

The young blonde took a deep breath and leant in slowly, puckering his lips slightly for the kiss. At first, his eyes were open, planted solely on Near, and helping him to aim for the boy's lips. But then, their faces were but inches apart; his eyes closed. Something told Mello that that was the right thing to do.

Then their lips touched.

It was feather light, like kissing the wind, but also warm and smooth, because Near's lips were dry and plump like fresh fruit, with just enough heat to make shivers run down Mello's spine. He held his breath and held the position for a few seconds, unable to think –only feel.

_'This is… nice…'  
_  
Near's eyes were wide when Mello leaned in, but he squeezed them closed just as their lips touched. He was unsure what to do. Mello's lips were soft and he could almost taste chocolate on him.

He liked it, but he was still so full of unknowing.

Mello hadn't pulled back, so Near just stayed in place and memorized the feeling. He had no idea if this was right or wrong, really. For all he knew, friends did this kind of thing all the time and it meant nothing at all. But something told him that it was much more than that. That, between their connected lips, was a bond that was only supposed to be made between some.

Mello started to itch for breath, so he breathed lightly through his nose –still unwilling to pull away from Near just yet. He knew he'd have to sooner or later. But, for some reason, he knew he had to stay.

He didn't feel like he was finished yet.

Cautiously, Mello's hands came up to cup Near's cheeks. His fingers stroked the soft skin of Near's face –trembling with excitement all the while, and he did not break the lip-lock.

Near felt Mello's breath from his nose tickle his skin, and loved the light feeling of it. Then, he felt Mello's warm hands take his face and, again, he felt safe and protected. –much like he had when Mello hugged him earlier.

He relaxed into the feeling, but felt his own hands should be holding onto something more. He felt himself let go of his bunny and instead touched the material of Mello's shirt –taking the end lightly and with an unsure feeling behind it.

Mello had a sense of security to him that he'd never felt before. He liked being able to hold him as he was now, and be this impossibly close.

The shopkeeper raised his brows, leaning over the countertop slightly, watching the show with a sly smile on his face. He hated to break them up, but… "Boys! You're going to miss your train."

Mello's eyes snapped open and broke contact with Near. One of his hands falling to grab the other boy's. "R-right, let's go!" He said, his face entirely flushed.

Near picked up his stuffed bunny again, with his free hand, before letting Mello begin to pull him towards the door.

"Good luck!" The shopkeeper called after them –laughing a little.

Near let Mello pull him outside, but then couldn't help but say. "Mero, I never said you had to kiss me on the lips…"

A/N: When I originally decided to stop this chapter here, I thought it would be funny. But my Mello didn't really see it that way. But hopefully you, as the reader, will! Anyway, hopefully you enjoyed the cuteness of this chapter.

**Note**: I've put up a poll on my profile concerning what story I should post/write next. _PLEASE_ go fill out your choices, it'll really help me! There's 9 story infos on my profile, but it shouldn't take longer than 10 minutes or so. _Please_ help me out a bit by doing this!

Please review!  
_-Forbiddensoul562_


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I apologize profusely for how long it has been since I last updated this story. Please forgive me, everyone, for my long hiatus. Anyway, without any further adu, I bring to you the last chapter of Little Lost Bunny. Please enjoy and let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters in this story.

Chapter 10

Mello flushed again, trying not to look at Near as he hurried down the sidewalk; stressing to remember the instructions the shopkeeper had given him. At the time they seemed so simple, yet, since then his thoughts seemed to have floated out the window; the instructions quickly going with it.

"Y-you said to ki-kiss you!" Mello replied to him, defensively.

"But never said 'where'… My Mama kissed me on the cheek." Near replied easily, and hugging his bunny as he thought back and remembered the blurry vision of his mother gently kissing his cheek

Mello frowned, "Well…" He bit his tongue, now thoroughly flustered. "You c-could've said that, then!"

'_He did still want me to kiss him like that, though, didn't he? I mean… he had plenty of time to pull away if he didn't like it… Near's just trying to tease me now.'_ He concluded to himself.

"Yeah…" Near said, adjusting his bunny under his free arm. "But… dat wasn a bad kiss, either. Do friends always do dat?" He asked, looking at Mello.

But Mello couldn't even bear to look back at Near, now. "No… friends don't kiss like that… I don't think…" He grunted in reply, still rushing along.

"Oh… who does?"

Mello didn't answer for a long minute as he struggled to find a answer. He knew, of course, who kissed like that. People who 'like liked' each other. And part of Mello suspected Near knew that as well, but still couldn't just answer the boy. It was humiliating.

"…I don't know." He lied as he refused to make eye contact with the other boy. For now, he was just focusing on finding that train station and forgetting about what had just happened for the time being.

Near held on tight to his new bunny so he wouldn't accidently drop it and lose it like he had done with his first one.

He kept quiet, trying to figure out the answer to his other question. He didn't understand how Mello didn't know. Mello was older, and somehow Near thought Mello knew everything.

Mello simply pulled Near along the road sides for a few more minutes before the train station came into sight up ahead. After all, it was hard to miss.

When they reached the front doors Mello sighed and dropped Near's hand for a second. "We got here in time. Good." He glanced over at Near quickly. "We gotta buy tickets before we can get on."

He thought back to the price the shop keeper had suggested earlier and reached into his pocket, grateful that he hadn't kept his money in his backpack –or it would've been gone by now.

He produced two dollars and put them in Near's free hand. "Be careful with it." He warned.

Near took the bills and nodded. However, his attention didn't stay on them for very long before they began to drift around the area. He stepped closer to Mello so they wouldn't get separated in the numbers of people. "I neva been on a twain bfore." He stated as he continued to look around.

Mello shrugged. He had only been on one once before, and it had been last year, when the first year's had gone to a theme park, so it wasn't a real train, but, none-the-less, Mello had a pretty good idea of how to do things.

"Just go up to the booth." Mello ordered as he pointed to a man sitting behind a glass screen just a few steps away. "Tell him you want a kid's ticket for the north train, okay? I will too." He nudged Near forwards slightly.

Near clutched his bunny closer to him as he took small steps closer to the man Mello had specified. "Um…" His small voice began. "I-I wan a kid tickit for da norf twain, pweaz." He repeated the words Mello'd told him to say.

The man nodded and took the money from Near, put it in the cash register and passed him a ticket.

Afterwards, Mello stepped up and did the same for his own ticket.

"Okay, now we got to to find our train. There should be only two." Mello said as he took Near's hand again and led him off towards the gates.

Near followed after him, holding his ticket tightly as he was pulled along towards the gates where the trains were waiting. His eyes continued to glitter with wonder as they moved along and he took in the sight of everything that was here which he'd never seen before.

Mello examined the first train closely. It had a number one on the front, but no indication of which direction it was heading.

He stepped up unto the train and looked up at the conductor. "Is this the north train?" He asked politely.

"It sure is. You kids are just on time, we're about to leave." The conductor replied cheerily.

Mello smiled and tugged Near up the steps and into the train. "Give him your ticket, Near, like me." He said before demonstrating.

Near stepped up to the conductor and handed him his ticket. "Here you go." He said quietly, but as politely as he could despite how nervous he felt around this stranger.

The conductor smiled, punched holes in both tickets and handed them back to the boys. "Find your seats."

Mello looked over the interior of the train. It was empty, for the most part –probably because it was getting late in the evening. There were lots of places they could sit.

Mello headed down the aisle and sat down just a seat away from the window. "Lots of room, huh, Near?" He said, smiling a bit and demonstrating by putting his feet on the seat across from him.

Near took a seat by the window and looked out –positioning his bunny to be able to look out too. "I like twins." He commented, looking back to Mello for a moment.

His eyes lingered on the blonde as he began to wondered, "How long you tink it take us to get home?"

Mello looked down at Near, their eyes connecting as the train started to move. "Well…. The guy at the store said not too long. Maybe… a hour? At least it's better than walking back."

The blonde smiled and patted the toy rabbit's head. "I'm sorry I lost your bunny. I hope this one's okay."

Near looked down, fondly, at his bunny. "Yes, I like dis bunny." His eyes moved to Mello once more –he liked looking at the bright blue orbs that were so completely opposite to his own. Near wondered for a second why his eyes weren't pretty like Mello's were.

"Tank you for gettin' me my new bunny, Mero."

Mello blinked and looked down at the rabbit, positioned so it's face was bobbing against the window as the train bumped along the rails. "That's good." Mello replied quietly as he sat back again. He knew that Near was probably still mourning the loss of his first toy, though.

Mello couldn't pretend he hadn't failed Near when he hadn't been able to retrieve it from that sewer in time. If only he'd… reached further… or tried harder. He sighed. "At least you have something to scare away the monsters."

Near looked at his bunny again after Mello spoke; his hands beginning to play with the large floppy white ears, "I tink Mero works better at dat… but dis bunny can too!" He said happily.

Mello rolled his eyes. He wanted to argue that, if there were any monsters, he doubted he'd be any good at scaring them off, but he knew just how Near would react and decided not to waste his words.

Instead, the younge blonde brought his feet up unto the chair so his knees pressed agains his chest. "When my mommy died I was scared of monsters, too. I used to have bad dreams and she'd always make me feel better when I woke up, but when she was gone there wasn't anybody to keep the monsters away." Mello bit his lip. "I had to learn how to be brave on my own, I guess."

Near looked over to him again, "How'd you do it, Mero?"

Mello looked up at Near for an instant before looking back down at the floor of the train, "I d'know." He replied softly. "I just did. My mommy wouldn't a wanted me ta be scared all the time. So I'm just trying to make her proud, I guess. Besides, I'm gonna be a man soon, right? Men gotta be brave." He eyed Near, "You too, in a bit, you gotta learn how to be tougher."

"But… I'm still scared of monsers…" He said, holding his bunny suddenly tighter against him, only his dark eyes peaking over the top of his stuffed animal's head.

"You won't be forever. You'll get brave." Mello replied knowingly.

"Bwave like you?" He wondered, raising his head a bit from behind the bunny; the light of heroism present in his wide, dark orbs.

Mello smiled a little. "Yeah, definitely. Once you get big like me you'll be braver." He put his hand over one of Near's that was resting on the bunny. "You will."

Near felt his face suddenly grow warm and his eyes shot down in embarrassment, "I hope so." He muttered quietly.

The other boy slid his hand unto the bunny's head and ran it over the soft white ears. "This is really nice." He commented quietly. "His hair's almost as soft as yours."

"Like… mine?" Out of curiosity, Near reached up to his hair and touched the soft locks; trying to compare the feeling of his own hair to his bunny's.

Mello nodded. "Yeah, your hair's real soft."

Without thinking, Near looked over to Mello and let his fingers touch Mello's hair. "Youws 's just as soft." He observed, feeling how silky the blonde locks were.

Said orphan blushed a little, "I guess…" He glanced away quickly. "It just kinda is like that. People says it makes me look like a girl but they're just…" He clenched his little fists. "… Stupid. I'll punch 'em when they say that." He growled.

Near didn't falter by Mello's words, and instead continued to twirl a single silky lock around his tiny finger. "I like youw hair, Mero. I's pretty." He smiled.

Mello frowned. "Hansom, Nia, it's hansome." He reminded him.

"What that mean?"

Mello looked at Near, surprised that he didn't know. "It's when a boy is pretty, he's hansom. Girls are pretty, boys are hansom." He explained.

"Oh…" Near said, though not quite understanding. He thought Mello looked pretty, but Mello was older and knew a lot more words and how to use them than he did, so perhaps he was wrong and didn't even know it. "Then… Mero is hansom." He corrected, sounding the word out as if testing the way it sounded on his tongue.

The blonde smiled. "You're cute." He said without thinking it over first. "… you know, in a 'little kid' kinda way." He instantly corrected.

Near cocked his head to the side, confused, "Awn't you supposed to say 'hansom'?"

Mello smiled, "But… but hansom is for… men, and you're not a man, yet!"

"You you said you wewen't a man yet either." Near retorted easily, retracting his hand from playing with Mello's hair in order to watch him.

Mello frowned, "Well… YOU'RE the one who called me hansom."

"Afer you cowected me."

Mello sighed, "Fine whatever. I don't care." He folded his arms across his chest and stared ahead. "You are so confusing."

Near looked down at his stuffed animal, and began playing with it's ears again. "I sorry, Mero." He then looked over again, "Do you wanna play wit my bunny?" He asked, offering the bunny out to the blonde boy.

Mello shook his head slowly, "No, it's okay." He turned to look out the window, admiring the scenery as it quickly passed by them.

Suddenly, it occurred to Mello. They were almost home again, and when they did get back to Wammy's things were going to go back to how they used to be. Near would play with his toys all day and Mello would play outside. They'd be separate again. It was, almost, depressing to think about.

Also, getting back to Wammy's meant something else. Everything that happened today wouldn't be a secret anymore; it could very well get around the orphanage fast.

"Uhm… Nia?" Mello started quietly.

Near simply looked at him to show he had his attention.

"…can you… uhm… just don't tell anybody about the… uh… kiss… okay?" Mello asked, near-whispering the last part.

He looked confused, "Wuz wong with tellin' anyone?" Near asked, but then wondering to himself who exactly he would tell, even if he wanted to. Most of the orphans didn't even talk to him unless forced.

Mello sighed, of course Near would have to ask. He didn't really want to get into the details, but if he didn't give Near some sort of answer… "It's… I'm just… it'll be our secret, okay?" He finally said, trying to look confident.

Near blinked once as he watched him, trying to understand where Mello was coming from. He honestly didn't see what the problem with it was. But again it came down to the fact that Mello was older, thus he must know better than Near why it wouldn't be okay. "Okay, Mero." He answered simply.

Mello smiled, "Okay." He held out his hand, pinky extended. "Pinky promise it's a secret?"

Near looked confused, but mimicked what Mello was doing. "Pinky promise?"

The blonde just took Near's pinky in his own and curled the tiny finger around Near's even tinier one. "Like this." He explained. "Now it's a promise you can't break."

Near was confused, but let Mello do as he wanted. "Okay." He responded simply with a small nod.

Mello continued to grin and leaned in and planted a small kiss on Near's cheek before dropping Near's hand and letting go of his pinky. Then he pulled away, blushing and smiling. Thanks. He said, wondering how often he'd be able to kiss Near like that once they got back to Wammy's. It was something he really didn't want to think about.

Near felt his face grow warm again, but the moment Mello dropped his hand, the younger boy hid his face with the bunny so Mello wouldn't see the rose blush that painted his cheeks. After a moment, he looked back out the window.

Mello giggled when Near covered his face, "You like me!" He teased, poking him gently in the side.

Near moved away from the poke. "Nu uh!" He tried to keep his eyes off the blonde.

Mello's grin grew but decided to drop it, instead turning his beaming blue eyes to the window once more; as the trees open up into a clearing he could see the sun, sinking over the kill in the distance, painting the sky pinkish orange. The blush-like color reminded him of Near's cheeks. "Pretty." He said.

Near nodded, his own endless eyes having followed Mello's out the window. "I wondew if they're wowied." He thought aloud.

Mello blinked. "Well… maybe." He tried not to think about the trouble they were going to be in, and instead kept watching the sunset. "It doesn't matter, though, right? We're okay, so nothing to be worried of."

"Yeah…" The younger said, trailing off.

"Don't worry." Mello said. "At least you got a bunny, right?"

"Yeah." The other hugged it tighter. "I don care so long as I have my bunny."

The blonde smiled a little. "I hope Roger's not too mad… he's just gonna get mad at me." Part of the blonde wished this train ride would last forever. He liked it here, sitting next to Near watching the sunset. If only time could pause.

"Why?" Near interrupted his thoughts, looking over at him questioningly.

"Cuz he always gets mad at me." The blonde griped. "He just hates me…"

"Well… I's my faul… maybe he get mad at me too." Near tried to reason, pointing at himself as he finished.

Mello doubted it. Near was the cure and innocent one. He probably never even been in detention before. "…oh well… he'll go easy on you." He replied. "Just make your eyes really big and watery and stuff and he'll probably let you off the hook, easy."

"I don wan Mero to get in twouble, though. I's my faul it all happened."

Mello shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I'll find a way to escape the Rog, if I have to." He glanced over at Near. "It'll be good to go home, though. I'm kinda hungry, aren't you?"

"Yeah. I miss home alwedy…" He trailed off.

Mello sighed then and sat back in his chair, resting up against the slight cushioning. He was just about to say, "I wonder how much longer," when the conductor called 'Pinegrove Stop' as the train screeched to a stop. His blue eyes widened, "That's ours." He took Near's hand again, "Let's go."

Near held on to Mello's hand and followed after him as they got up to leave the train. Part of him was a bit saddened to leave the train, as he'd really liked the quiet and wonderful sights that came with travels. But, another part of him really missed home, and his toys.

Once they and the other passengers for that stop were off, the train started up again and Mello looked around the small station. It was just a covered shelter and a few railing to keep people from wandering onto the tracks.

Then, when he glanced up the road, he noticed the familiar stop sign that showed where the road to Wammy's was concealed. "I know where we are." Mello said proudly as he started towards the small road hidden on either side by dense forests. "We'll be home in no time; probably before dark."

Near smiled at the thought and trailed after him. "I can't wait." He said with obvious excitement in his tone.

Mello nodded, "Yeah."

Once they started onto the road, the trees blocked out most of what little sunlight was left in the sky. "… it's dark." He whispered, taking Near's hand and holding it tight. _'Maybe sometime I could take Near out here… no one could see me kiss him here…'_ Mello thought to himself slyly.

Near leaned even closer to Mello and looked around. "I don like dis, Mero…" He said quietly, and held his bunny tight.

"It's okay, you're safe." Mello replied as they walked on.

Near's dark eyes looked back to him and held up his pinky. "Pinky pwomise?"

Mello smiled and held Near's pinky in his own. "Yeah, of course. This is Wammy's, no one's gonna hurt ya, and I'll scare any monsters away, right?"

Near smiled and nodded, "Yeah. You can scare dem away. I twust you."

Mello nodded, still smiling reassuringly at the other boy, even though he doubted Near could see it very well in the dim light. They stumbled onwards, down the dirt road and finally a light was visible at the end where the trees opened up and the Wammy's grounds began. Mello smiled when they arrived there and the looming structure of the orphanage towered above them.

"We're back." He said simply as he led Near through the open gate and up the pathway. "I bet everyone is inside having dinner by now."

"Mmm, dinner." Near smiled a bit at the thought of eating a good, warm meal from Wammy's again. "Hopefery we get to eat with everyone." He said with his eyes glued to the building as they got closer and closer.

"I bet we can nick somethin' after we go and talk to Roger." Mello said, starting to feel the knot of impending doom tighten itself in his stomach. "We… yeah, we can't just show up without seeing him first. Everyone won't know where we've been."

"So we hafta talk to Roger first." Near figured, beginning to feel a bit guilty, since he knew Mello would attempt to take the blame for their little 'outing'.

"Yeah, no biggie." The blonde replied as they hurried up the steps that led to the large front doors. The short blonde reached forwards and took the heavy brass handle in his hands; straining hard to pull open the door. The instant he did, the familiar scent of Wammy's brushed past them, and Mello stepped, with his companion, into the dimly lit from hall.

"It's nice to be back."

Just under an hour later, Mello was back in his bedroom again, sorting out his belongings and trying to get changed for bed. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had such an exciting day, and being back at Wammy's again, despite how refreshing it was, almost seemed a disappointment.

Being out there, all alone, with a little albino to look after had been a new experience for the blonde, and he'd never be able to forget a lick of it.

'_I can't believe Rog let us off without punishment._' Mello wondered to himself as he pulled himself up onto his still-too-large bed and settled between the covers. _'Goin' to bed without any supper isn' all that bad. I've had worser. 'Sides, he let Near go and get food 'cuz he's littler than me…'_ And for the first time in a while, Mello didn't feel cheated; he wasn't even jealous of the albino. For some reason, he understood.

'_I guess I was lucky…'_ Mello told himself and he reached over and flicked off his bedside lamp so the room went dark. _'Near bein' there probably saved me…'_

The blonde yawned and snuggled into his blankets, laying his head down on the pillow behind me.

'_At leas' everything's okay now…'_ His little eyes started to close.

Near, who was settling into his own bed for the night with his new bunny a few rooms over felt reassured now that things were going to be fine. He figured, now that he had a new bunny, it would protect him from the monsters that lurked in his room when the lights went out. So, without giving it a second thought Near flicked off his lights.

However, he hadn't laid there for more than a few moments when he began to hear noises coming from different places around the room. His eyes opened and he looked around the room and tried to see where they were coming from –all the while holding his bunny close to him for comfort and security.

However, as he looked around… all he saw was his room –his dresser was in its place, there was nothing from the closet, or lurking by the boxes. It was just his room. Though, this did not help him to feel any safer. _'Maybe… they's hidin'…'_ He thought to himself.

Before he could even let himself think about it, he got out of bed and scampered out of his room –much in the same way he had done the previous night. He quietly ran down the hall till he reached Mello's room, where he carefully, and as silently as he could, opened the door.

His eyes instantly fell on the sleeping blonde, and when he saw this, he instantly entered and closed the door once more, remembering to be just as quiet as he had been.

He went over to the side of the blonde's bed, hugging his bunny tight as his hand hesitantly reached forward to shake Mello a bit. Part of him felt guilty for waking him for the second night in a row. But the monsters were back…

Mello frowned in his sleep and smacked his lips as his eyes opened on the frightened little albino boy. "… Near?" He whispered in surprise as he sat up; his eyes quickly adjusting to the dim lighting in his room.

Near's dark eyes followed the blonde and he shuffled nervously a bit in place. "Mero… can I sleep in heaw wif you, so you can protet me from da monsers?" He asked in a hushed voice.

Mello frowned at this, then his eyes sunk to the rabbit toy Near was holding; he prodded the toy with his foot. "He's not workin'?"

"Mero works better." He said easily.

The blonde rolled his eyes, "… is this gonna happen every night?" A part of him almost wished it would.

Near looked down, his expression quickly dropping into sadness; it was as thought Mello had already told him no, and sent him on his way back to the room crawling with invisible monsters.

Near couldn't deny, though, that part of him was also a bit sad by losing the opportunity to sleep in here with Mello more. Mello worked better than his new rabbit, and for that he liked the blonde's presence. But having the rejection hit his little heart hard. "… no." He said softly without looking up.

Mello could see the disappointment in Near's eyes. "… What is it?" He asked, not really wanting to have to admit to Near that he liked the other boy's presence as well.

Near began shuffling a bit in his spot; his hands playing with the bunny's soft white material. "I just wanna say in heaw wif Mero…" He said in the same tone.

The blonde sighed and shuffled backwards slightly. "Then come on. Just, next time, you don gotta wake me, okay?"

Near nodded in understanding then moved to Mello's bed and pulled himself up in it, instantly laying down with a small, content smile on his face now. "Tank you, Mero."

Mello nodded and tugged up the sheets so they covered both him and Near, then he settled down again, making sure there was room for Near's head on the pillow as well. Then, when Near lay down next to him, Mello boldly put one arm around Near's shoulders, pulling them closer together and pressed his face to the top of Near's head where he could breathe the calming scent of his soft hair.

'G'night Nia." He whispered softly before leaning in to press a quick kiss to the albino's nose.

Near was confused about Mello's actions, but he knew he wasn't at all opposed as well. He was warm under the blankets next to Mello and felt much more safe than before. He quickly pressed his own kiss to Mello's cheek. "Goodnight Mero." He replied with a content smile.

The blonde smiled and closed his eyes. It was, overall, a very calming and serene scenario. The stuffed bunny resting between their bodies, his arms around Near, and, of course, the younger boy's short breaths tickling his nose from time to time.

'_I hope he comes back tomorrow night…'_

The End

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A/N: Again, I apologize for the long wait on this. I finally sat down today and proclaimed that there was no reason this shouldn't be finished since there was only one more chapter. So... there it is. I hope you enjoyed this. Thanks for _AlmightySponge_ for the wonderful idea and roleplay. Please feel free to leave your thoughts and let me/us know what you think.

Please review  
_-Forbiddensoul562_


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